Planned Parenthood Ties With Obama Increasing

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Friday, October 26, 2012

The connections of support between Planned Parenthood and the Obama Administration have gained increased light courtesy recent events.

President Barack Obama's support for Planned Parenthood was noted in the presidential debates, as contrasted with Republican challenger Mitt Romney's position of defunding the pro-choice group. In one debate, Obama mentioned Planned Parenthood four times, with some believing it was an effort to increase support among women voters.

On Tuesday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the implementation of Indiana's law defunding Planned Parenthood. Last week, a judge in Arizona blocked enforcement of the state's defunding law until the case is decided in court. In both cases, the Obama Administration filed amicus briefs on behalf of Planned Parenthood.

Also, as reported by sources like Baptist Press and The Wall Street Journal, Planned Parenthood's political action arms have poured an estimated $12 million into Obama's re-election campaign. About half of those funds went to TV ads in swing states like Virginia and Florida. It is believed to be the largest amount of money Planned Parenthood has ever spent on a presidential campaign.

Last week, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, announced that she would be campaigning "full time" for Obama's re-election.

"Since day one, President Obama has stood with women. The very first bill he signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, allowing us to make sure that women get equal pay to men. And under the Affordable Care Act he's expanded health care coverage to millions of American women," said Richards in a Web video.

Richards added that her campaigning for Obama involved taking "a break from [her] day job" and was being done for "our daughters' and our granddaughters' future."

Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, said in a statement that he was unsurprised by the strong ties between Planned Parenthood and Obama.

"If one reads the platforms of the two parties, it's in their self-interest to do everything they can to bring about President Obama's re-election," said Land.

"Unfortunately, there are hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars at stake, so I imagine Planned Parenthood sees a $12 million investment as a wise use of their funds in order to protect the gift of hundreds of millions of dollars they receive every year from the federal government."